By Graeme Fletcher, Postmedia News

Originally published: January 22, 2013

SMALL

MEDIUM

LARGE

The EX is the smallest of Infiniti’s crossovers. That, however, is not to say it comes up shy, for the most part. It is a good-looking rig that will serve a family of four nicely. Where it is different from many of its peers in the crossover market is the fact it has more than a little spring in its step when urged.

The reason boils down to its smooth 3.7-litre V6 and the 325 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque it spins out. What I liked about this engine was the crisp throttle tip-in. It made the EX feel much livelier than its competitors. It is also very adroit at catering to the driver’s need — it is equally at home puttering along a busy urban thoroughfare as it is blasting through a long, looping onramp at wide-open throttle. It has a flexibility to its work ethic that few crossovers can match. The fact the engine is quiet and refined underscores its powerful sweetness.

The engine is married to a seven-speed manumatic that does all the right things — it rev-matches on downshifts and it has the uncanny knack of always being in the right gear, which is something many transmissions with more than six speeds seem to have a hard time managing to get right. The powertrain combination worked nicely — it took 6.5 seconds to run from rest to 100 kilometres an hour, which was faster than I expected, given that the EX is not a lightweight (it weighs 1,829 kilograms).

The EX’s all-wheel-drive system is a seamless affair that uses a number of inputs to determine the best power split. While it can send up to 50% of the power forward, it normally drives the rear wheels alone. The good news is that on a slippery road, it had the desired effect and shuttled the power between the four wheels seamlessly.

The ride and handling is, for a crossover, very well balanced. The ride comfort is up there with the best in the segment, yet the EX’s handling is noticeably crisper than its peers — the double-front wishbones and multiple rear links dial out unwanted body roll without adopting the harshness that defines some crossovers. It takes a pretty gnarly piece of tarmac to get the riders’ heads bobbing like one of those silly nodding dogs. The steering, which is speed-sensitive, delivers the right sort of feedback and is easy to wheel around in the confines of a tight parking lot.

From the driver’s perspective, the EX is comfortable and nicely laid out, with the key controls falling readily to hand. The exception was the button for the electronic stability control system. It was buried down by my left knee and difficult to access — finding it took my eyes off the road, which is never a good thing.

If you like toys, the EX is available with a ton of options. The hits proved to be the audio system, which delivers superior sound, and the navigation system; it was easy to program and the clarity of the map was refreshingly clean. The misses included the lane departure/correction system. I did not like how it intervened in such an intrusive manner. The Around View Monitor also turned out to be more of a gimmick than a functional driving aid. Yes, it helped compensate for the tight rearward sightlines in parking lots, but other than that, it tended to give me vertigo.

The rear seats are comfortable and support two adults easily. The central tunnel intrusion along with the back end of the centre console, which protrudes into the knee space, combined to rule out the middle seat for anything other than an emergency. As for the utility side, the EX’s floor is flat when the seats are folded down and there is decent width between the wheel well intrusions. It also features the required tie-downs and a privacy cover to keep the trunk’s contents hidden.

As for space, there is 18.6 cubic feet with the seats upright. Infiniti does not list a capacity with the seats down, likely because the number would come up shy of its competition. This means the EX is more about the passengers than it is about toting cargo. I was also surprised by the lack of a powered tailgate given the rest of the toys and the four fairly pricey option packages were along for the ride.

The EX37 is one of the sportier crossovers available. It has plenty of power, a slick transmission (as in no CVT, thank you!), a very good all-wheel-drive system, and the handling characteristics needed to support an enthusiastic drive. The nits are found in overall cargo capability and, with all those option packages along for the ride, the pricing.